Rekap Episod 22 Road to Success
> Rekap Road to Success
At the hospital, the mood among the Hongjing No. 8 High School football team was incredibly tense. Fu Xinshu lay on a hospital bed, awaiting the results of a CT scan to ensure he had not suffered any bone fractures. Although the doctor assured them it was likely just a soft tissue injury, the players were deeply discouraged and angry.
Zhi Hui voiced the feelings of the group, declaring that he refused to play football with Wen Chengye ever again, calling him a bad person. Lin Wanxing tried to calm him down, but the other players quickly chimed in, complaining that Wen Chengye had acted recklessly without considering the consequences or even offering an apology. Another player added that Wen Chengye clearly did not want to be part of the team, suggesting they should not force him to stay.
Overhearing their complaints from the doorway, Wen Chengye coldly retorted that he did not care about them either. He dismissed them all as a bunch of brain-dead football scrubs who did not know how to use their heads. Qin Ao was furious and ready to fight, but Fu Xinshu held him back. Lin Wanxing rushed out of the hospital to catch up with Wen Chengye before he could slip away.
When she caught up with him, Wen Chengye insisted he was fine and urged her to go back. Lin Wanxing reminded him that she was his team supervisor and could not let him wander off, but Wen Chengye bitterly pointed out that there was no real team left since they had already abandoned him. He declared that he would take the high-speed train back on his own.
Despite Lin Wanxing's worries about his safety, he left for the station anyway, later replying to her text to confirm he had boarded the train. With the CT scan clearing Fu Xinshu of any major fractures, the rest of the team prepared to leave. His teammates tried to lighten the mood, joking about carrying him to a fried skewer place once he recovered.
However, when Fu Xinshu asked about Wen Chengye, Lin Wanxing could only tell him that he had already left by train. On the long bus ride back to Hongjing, the weight of their crushing 11-0 defeat took its toll. Lin Lu confessed his fears about the team's future, questioning if they even had the talent to continue now that they were short a player. Qin Ao fiercely disagreed, insisting they had to keep fighting and eventually crush Yongchuan Hengjiu.
Lin Wanxing offered words of encouragement, reminding the boys that they still had her as their supervisor and Wang Fa as their highly capable coach. Upon returning to Hongjing, Wang Fa insisted on carrying the injured Fu Xinshu back to his home. On the way, Fu Xinshu asked Wang Fa if Wen Chengye actually cared about his football career, wondering if his reckless actions were meant to punish the team or him personally.
Wang Fa asked if there was an underlying conflict between the two of them, but Fu Xinshu claimed there was nothing. Before reaching his house, Fu Xinshu begged Lin Wanxing and Wang Fa not to tell his grandmother the real reason for his injury, wanting to claim he had simply twisted his ankle by accident. Lin Wanxing agreed on the condition that he give her daily updates and return to the hospital if the swelling did not improve.
During their walk back uphill, Lin Wanxing admitted to Wang Fa that she was exhausted and terrified the team might disband under the weight of their defeat. Wang Fa stopped at a roadside stall, purchased a jasmine flower bracelet, and gently placed it on her wrist, explaining that jasmine represents being forever together and never apart. He reassured her that true team unity is often forged after a massive argument.
He was confident they would not dissolve because Lin Wanxing had always treated them with gentleness, allowing them to find their true passion and choose the pitch on their own. Even after a terrible loss, their hearts were still in the game. Comforted, Lin Wanxing asked Wang Fa to help them win if she could keep them motivated, and he readily agreed.
Meanwhile, Wen Chengye was at home tending to his wounds when his father, Wen Ruigang, stormed into his room. Wen Ruigang was furious that his son had stood up a one-on-one consultation with a former college admissions officer. Seeing his son's physical state, Wen Ruigang blamed it on football and berated him for wasting his future on a bottom-tier team when he had already applied to Berkeley for computer science on his behalf.
Wen Chengye retorted that he never wanted to study abroad, but his father demanded absolute obedience. In a fit of anger, Wen Chengye brought up a painful childhood memory, recalling how his cold-blooded father had forced him to take a DNA test via a mouth swab before he was even ten years old just to prove he was his son.
Wen Ruigang claimed it was merely to reissue lost documents and warned his son never to mention the past or play football again. The next morning, Ju Li took Lin Wanxing out to clear her head, bringing her to a familiar old street they used to frequent during middle school. They watched a glove puppet show, a favorite childhood memory of Lin Wanxing's.
Ju Li reminded her that while the past is set in stone, the future is wide open, prompting Lin Wanxing to promise she would look forward and not do anything foolish. When Ju Li dropped her off at her building, she noticed Wang Fa waiting outside and left them with a knowing smile. Wang Fa told Lin Wanxing to make a wish upon a flickering light as if it were a star.
She wished for her team to unite and find a way to advance. Wang Fa then took her to Fu Xinshu's home to discuss the team's future. Fu Xinshu admitted that while Qin Ao and the others wanted to find a replacement for Wen Chengye, he did not care if the collision had been intentional; he simply did not want to play with someone who had no desire to win.
Wang Fa pressed further, asking about the childhood grudge between them. He pointed out that Wen Chengye had joined the team specifically because of Fu Xinshu and was desperately waiting for an answer to some past event. Fu Xinshu mentioned a missed birthday meeting but struggled to explain why he had failed to show up, briefly mentioning his parents before stopping.
Wang Fa told him that Wen Chengye was not a bad person, just lonely and obsessed with that unanswered question, and that Fu Xinshu's silence was incredibly cruel. He reminded Fu Xinshu that even though Wen Chengye had been badly hurt in the match, he had still rushed to the hospital to wait for his results. That night, Lin Wanxing and Wang Fa shared a drink.
Lin Wanxing realized that the secret Fu Xinshu was keeping was too heavy for him to share, but leaving the grudge unresolved was like keeping a ticking time bomb on the team. Wang Fa suggested they halt regular training temporarily, giving the players a chance to stop focusing on their opponents or their grudges and instead remember why they had started playing football in the first place.
Lin Wanxing immediately messaged the team chat, giving them one week to write an honest reflection on why they play football. A week passed, but none of the players turned in the assignment or showed up for training. To make matters worse, the schedule for their third-round match against Chuncheng Xinpeng was set for the coming Sunday. With only ten active players and a fractured team spirit, Lin Wanxing was deeply worried they would be forced to forfeit.
Wang Fa told her to leave it to him and immediately called the players to the field. The discouraged players gathered on the pitch, arguing that they stood no chance with only ten people and should give up. Wang Fa challenged them to a match against him. During the play, Wang Fa moved with incredible speed and tactical precision, easily bypassing their defense to score goal after goal.
The players were left in awe of his skills, wishing they had someone of his caliber on their team to face their rivals. Wang Fa then revealed that they already had someone with that level of vision on their team, pointing out that Fu Xinshu had finally realized the truth. He handed them a video tape of their last match to watch. Back in the classroom, the players studied the game footage.
They were shocked to see that Wen Chengye's movements off the ball were highly strategic, mirroring the exact patterns Wang Fa had just demonstrated. He had been anticipating the opponent's plays, but no one had passed him the ball. Looking closer at the collision, they realized Wen Chengye had jumped to block the ball and had not seen Fu Xinshu charging in from his blind spot. The collision was entirely accidental.
Furthermore, they noticed that Wen Chengye had taken a severe hit in the first half that was just as painful as Fu Xinshu's, yet he had silently pushed through the pain to finish the game. Overwhelmed with guilt, the players realized they had deeply misunderstood their teammate. Fu Xinshu confessed that the rift between them was his fault and promised to fix it himself. The following day, Fu Xinshu waited for Wen Chengye outside the cafeteria.
He apologized and begged him to return to the team, admitting they had misjudged his playing style. However, Wen Chengye was deeply hurt, realizing that Fu Xinshu was willing to apologize for the sake of his teammates but still refused to give him the personal explanation he had waited years for. Wen Chengye coldly refused to return and turned to leave. Fu Xinshu grabbed his arm, prompting Wen Chengye to ask if they had not already abandoned him. Qin Ao stepped in to block his path, and Wen Chengye mocked his sudden change in attitude, calling him a coward.
